Family
by Anne Maria
Summary: Bella reflects on the marvels of having a big, happy family.


A/N: Last Thursday, my father was taken to hospital on an emergency. It falls short to say that it was a sleepless night. I was in shock and half-crazed with fear because the doctors couldn't figure out what was wrong. I listened to Metric and wrote this. Stephenie Meyer will never know how grateful I am to her for helping me through those awful hours.  
Luckily for all people involved, my Dad's now recovering at lightening speed, and driving us all nuts because he hates being stuck in bed :-p.

* * *

It was incredible for me to find myself reaching beyond the wildest dream that had ever crossed my not-overly-creative mind. I'd dreamt of Edward, of course. But when I'd thought about becoming immortal, it was always him I had in mind, it was him I expected to get to spend forever with.

I'd prepared myself – heartbreaking as it was – to give up Charlie and Reneé. My Mom and Dad. My Dad, whom I'd barely gotten to spend a couple of years with, and whom I'd come to love as I'd never thought I would. I'd been ready to stay away from them for at least one agonizing decade, since I'd be a bloodthirsty and extremely perilous newborn vampire.

I'd been counting on Alice, too. My sister now in all possible senses. I hadn't thought our relationship would change much, except perhaps for the fact that she wouldn't feel the urgent need to rip my neck and drink my blood whenever I cut myself – something that happened altogether too often in my case.

Undoubtedly, undeniably, I had a lame imagination. Because, invaluable as Edward was to me, I'd never expected _so much_. What could I possibly ever have done to earn so many miracles, I didn't think I'd ever find out. Which didn't mean I wasn't two hundreds percent grateful and about to burst with bliss, not to mention the happiest being on the planet.

Surely, this was more proof of my belief that Edward _did_ have a soul. That all us Cullens had a soul (I thrilled at my carefree use of my recently acquired last name). How could a bunch of soulless creatures have formed such a beautiful family? Even more so, how could our little, lovely, innocent Renesmee not have one? And if she, a part of us, did, how could we not?

But, important as a soul may be, it wasn't the greatest gift I'd been conceded. Renesmee and Edward were by far the grandest treasures I would ever have – and I was going to live forever.

My incredible, talented, gorgeous and generous husband, who loved me every bit as much as I loved him. My sweet daughter. The impossible come true. She was beautiful, she was charming, she was gifted, and she was ours. We got to keep her forever, too.

And she adored us with such a pure, innocent love. The loving of such a marvelous creature, given with such selflessness, would be an excellent influence for Edward. Perhaps he would finally stop thinking of himself as a monster now that he was the father of an angel. Perhaps he would start seeing himself with clarity, the way _I_ had always seen him.

And Jacob, my dear Jacob, had forgiven me for every time and every way I'd broken him. Imprinted on my baby daughter and nicknamed her after an ugly mythical monster, too. But, piss me as it did, somewhere deep inside me I supposed he was the best choice Renesmee could have made. My best friend was such a decent, caring man. I would have considered anyone else not good enough for my girl, just as I'd once thought I would consider any girl not good enough for Jacob. It was a rather vexatious arrangement the universe had come up with to balance all the mess I'd caused.

Plus, implausible as it'd once been, I could see Charlie, too. I could share my new life with my Dad, let him into my world of wonders and show him I was the happiest any individual could ever get to be. I wouldn't have to be away from him for any painful length of time.

Then there were my extended families. The vampires and the wolves. I could have laughed out loud – it was such a crazy idea. But I was delighted by the way things had sorted themselves out. Instead of being mortal enemies, we now were family. And for at least half of my wolf family, I was still just Bella. Seth, Quil and Embry had welcomed me back with as much naturality as if my heart wasn't frozen and I didn't smell like rotten human food to them. Sam and Emily had fallen in love with Renesmee at first sight (I suspected there would be a breed of little wolves coming that way in not too long, by the way). The rest of them, at least, weren't claiming our heads in vengeance. That was all I could ask.

My vampire family had a few surprises in store for me, as well. Rose and I were friends at last. I guessed it was, possibly, because she respected me for the choices I had made, for giving up my human life to bring Renesmee to the world, and into the family. And it was comforting, knowing that someone would fight for my baby as fiercely as Edward and I would. Renesmee would never be alone in the world.

Even Jasper was closer to me than I'd ever have guessed he would. Not only had I gained one sister and one brother I had expected, but also another two that I hadn't. Edward said Jasper was drawn to my joyful mood and my general state of wellbeing. Well, I was more than grateful I could give him an ambience where he could achieve some peace of mind.

Against his prediction that he wouldn't be able to laugh at me anymore now that I couldn't blush and was over the whole being-the-clumsiest-klutz-in-the-world stuff, Emmett kept coming up with new ways to annoy me and make fun of me. But, after that incident when he'd gone overboard with the sexual innuendos in front of Charlie, I didn't have the strength to be too mad at him for too long – not when I was so ecstatic all the time.

Alice was even more of a nuisance now than ever, if such a thing was possible. She still couldn't get over the frustration it caused her to be blind to Renesmee and Jacob. And the fact that our fates were so interlaced with theirs didn't help much, either. She kept hitting more blind walls these days than… well, than ever, considering there had never been something before that Alice couldn't see. And then, of course, she was forever offended at what she considered my colossal trespassing against fashion. I didn't know what she'd been expecting. Should I have developed a respect for stylishness to accompany my transition from mortal to immortal?

Oh, well, at least she had Jasper, and she was so happy at his being happy that she made a massive effort to keep from complaining _too_ much.

Carlisle's and Esme's unfaltering love was a heavenly gift from the very beginning. They'd both counted me into the family from the second I'd crossed their threshold with Edward so many months ago. Their endless affection and acceptance hadn't changed, wavered or diminished at any moment. I understood Edward's respect and admiration for his parents easily; they were two of the best people I'd ever met – and I seemed to be constantly sorrounded by extraordinary people.

So how could I not be the happiest being ever to have existed? How could I not be smiling all day and night long, when I loved and was loved more than anyone had ever been?

I was glad I had forever. Because I was certain not even that vast span of time was going to be enough for me to be grateful for every little and big aspect of every precious thing I'd been bestowed.


End file.
